Death

No, its not going to be morbid. Don't worry.

First some preamble. Nearly ten years ago my father died of cancer. Naturally this had a fairly profound effect on my life. He didn't get to meet the Wife, or the Boy or the Girl all of whom I feel he would have loved. Or at least tolerated. I didn't have the fatherly advice I needed when the Kids were born. I inherited a car. Sadly it was a Nissan Micra. They were bad times.

I've tried to keep the Kids in touch with their departed grandfather by showing them pictures, taken them to his grave side and telling them about him. This means that they regularly talk about him.

"Why did your dad die?"
"Well, he got something called cancer that made him very ill and he died."
"Right... Like when Boris got fleas."

Clearly, a fairly big concept, cancer. The Wife and I decided (whenever I write this, read it as; I was told) to get a fish tank a while back (bear with me) and it turns out that its quite a good way to introduce your kids to the concept of death in a relatively gentle way. I say this because we go through goldfish at the same rate our bins are emptied. Its not without its own issues.

"How big was the toilet they flushed your dad down?"

But on the whole it works, and you don't have to use confusing euphemisms like "they've gone next door." We also have chickens, which can have similar issues to goldfish.

"Where's mummy's friend?"
"I'm afraid she died, darling."
"Did a fox get her?"

So now death is freely spoken about in our household, and not some awful taboo. Only tonight the Kids were pretending to chop each other up on the living room carpet, with the Girl yelling; "Boy! Kill me! Kill me!" I think that's why they both have some sympathy with the loss of my dad.

"Because you haven't got a dad, I'll be your dad."
"Aw, think Bo-"
"GET ON THE NAUGHTY STEP!"

Although I do worry we might have put ideas in their heads.

"I dreamt you flew my kite but you got blown away and I didn't get to see you again."
"Aw, Boy - that was just a bad dream."
"Actually it was quite good.